12th Annual Global Dignity Day Celebrates Kindness in Canada

Ottawa, October 17, 2018 – Today thousands of Canadian students and young leaders gathered in celebration of the international day to empower youth with dignity, Global Dignity Day. Joining over 600,000 of their peers in 70 countries, students celebrated the twelfth anniversary of Global Dignity Day internationally.

This year’s national event, hosted on Parliament Hill by the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, connected eight schools from coast-to-coast-to-coast through a live video-conference.

The theme for Global Dignity Day this year is kindness. The organization is inviting youth across Canada to share their acts of kindness on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #GlobalDignityDay. “Canada is one of the most welcoming countries in the world. We are stronger because of our diversity and it’s in this spirit that we recognize Global Dignity Day today,” said Minister Rodriguez. “I invite everyone to celebrate Canada’s spirit of dignity, inclusion and kindness with young Canadians – today and every day.”

Highlights of today’s event included dignity stories and performances from former child soldier, award-winning rapper and songwriter, Emmanuel Jal and Waukomaun Pawis, an acclaimed Ojibwe videographer and multimedia artist from Wasauksing First Nation. Video stories were also shared from Global Dignity Co-Founder, HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway; as well as National Role Models Komal Minhas, an Indo-Canadian entrepreneur, content creator, and investor and Drew Cumpson, the founder of H&D Consulting and an ambassador for accessibility, the LGBT community and creating change.

In Canada, Global Dignity is honoured with the support of Champions and Role Models of all stripes suchas: the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada; Tom Mulcair; former Leader of the NDP; Rona Ambrose, former Leader of the Official Opposition; Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party; TakingITGlobal Founder Jennifer Corriero; and Inuit filmmakers Curtis Konek and Innosar Issakiark, to name a few.

“This year Global Dignity is aiming to build on Canada’s culture of kindness by empowering young people to be kinder to themselves and others online,” said Giovanna Mingarelli, Canadian Chair of Global Dignity and member of the Board of Directors internationally.

“This kindness is the fabric that unites us as individuals, classrooms, communities and as a country.” Since it’s co-founding by HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in 2006, Global Dignity has reached over 2 million youth by offering teachers, students, parents and partners the inspiration and support they need to organize dignity workshops, assemblies and forums.

Global Dignity aims to inspire respect, self-esteem, and openness to diversity in young people, as well as promote the idea that every human being has the universal right to lead a dignified life. A livestream of the videoconference can be viewed at www.globaldignity.ca .